Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrei Kirilenko and Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson were teammates in Utah 10 years ago, and to this day, Jackson remembers a certain Russian word from playing with Kirilenko in the 2002-03 season.

Jackson said the word "spasibo," which means "thank you" in Russian, became the unofficial name of a play he and Kirilenko collaborated on in former Utah coach Jerry Sloan's offense.

"We had a play, just him and I, that we called 'spasibo,' which was automatically a lob for him," Jackson said of Kirilenko on Friday night, Nov. 16, before the Timberwolves' game against Golden State at Target Center. "He actually made me look better than I was."

Jackson was 37 at the time and nearing the end of his NBA career; Kirilenko was in his second season with Utah. Kirilenko confirmed Jackson's story.

"Every time we had a good play, and he passed it to me, I would say that word," Kirilenko said of saying "spasibo" to Jackson. "I had that just with him."

Kirilenko and Jackson developed a close relationship despite playing only one season together. Kirilenko also played with two other prominent point guards in Utah -- John Stockton and Deron Williams.